Bridgeport murder victim died of blunt force head trauma; Defendant plans to testify

Randall Beach, Register Staff

Published 12:00 am, Tuesday, February 21, 2012

NEW HAVEN -- Tina Johnson, who was allegedly killed as a result of a Bridgeport drug turf war, died from blunt force head trauma, according to testimony Tuesday in the triple murder trial of Efrain Johnson.

Johnson, who was 43, sustained nine head lacerations and three skull fractures, state Associate Medical Examiner Frank Evangelista testified in New Haven federal court.

Standing next to a large screen in the courtroom, Evangelista used a pointer to pinpoint Johnson's wounds on photos taken during her autopsy. Sixteen jurors somberly observed the evidence.

The defendant, 29, who took notes on a yellow legal pad during testimony, notified U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton Tuesday afternoon while the jury was briefly excused that he intends to testify.

Arterton reminded Johnson he will face cross-examination by prosecutors, which is why defendants in murder trials often decline to testify. She also noted his criminal record (a narcotics conviction) will be brought up. But Johnson reaffirmed his decision.

Johnson faces a mandatory term of life in prison if convicted of the killings.

His attorney, Todd Bussert, has maintained Johnson didn't kill Tina Johnson, nor did he kill her boyfriend, James Reid, 40, nor their friend, Basil Williams, 54. All of them were Bridgeport residents.

Johnson admits he was at the apartment where the three people died the morning of Aug. 24, 2005. According to Bussert, Johnson also acknowledges he tied up one of the victims with duct tape.

But Johnson has said when one of the killers complained he wasn't binding quickly enough, he left the apartment and waited for the other men outside.

Those men were Azibo Aquart, who received the death sentence last June after he was convicted of the slayings; his brother, Azikiwe Aquart, who pleaded guilty to the murders and is serving a life sentence; and John Taylor, who pleaded guilty to the slayings in exchange for a life sentence.

Prosecutors say Azibo Aquart was operating a crack cocaine operation out of the building where the slayings occurred. The prosecutors contend Aquart became angry with Tina Johnson when she began selling smaller amounts of the drug in competition with him.

At the outset of the trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Markle told jurors the victims were beaten to death with two baseball bats during a home invasion of the apartment.

When Evangelista was asked Tuesday by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alina Reynolds if Johnson's wounds were "consistent with" being struck with a baseball bat, Evangelista said it was possible. He then listed other possibilities, such as a hockey stick, table leg, a pipe and a wrench.